Selenium is most commonly produced from selenide in many sulfide ores, such as those of Copper, Nickel, or Lead.
Elemental Selenium comes as a by-product of refining copper or producing Sulfuric Acid.
It is non-metal. Found impurely in metal sulfide ores.
Selenium today are used in glassmaking & in pigments.
Selenium is a semiconductor and is used in photocells
Used in a few types of DC power surge protectors and one type of fluorescent quantum dot.
Hot, concentrated Selenic Acid (H2SeO4) is capable of dissolving Gold, forming Gold (III) selenates.
Salts of Selenous Acid (H2SeO3) are called selenites.
Ocean water contains significant amounts of Selenium.
Anthropogenic sources of Selenium include coal burning and the mining & smelting of sulfide ores.
During the electrowinning of manganese an addition of Selenium dioxide decreases the power necessary to operate the electrolysis cells.
It is a used also as a Solar Cells.
Electrowinning, also called electroextraction, is the electrodeposition of metals from their ores that have been put in solution via a process commonly referred to as leaching. Electrorefining uses a similar process to remove impurities from a metal.
